Amid the ongoing challenge of stage 6 rolling blackouts plaguing the country, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is adamant that government will end load shedding by the end of this year.
This is despite recent remarks by Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who expressed doubts about the possibility of resolving the crippling power cuts by year end.
The governing party first announced that it would eradicate load shedding by the end of 2023 by focusing on reducing the power cuts. However, this was shot down by Ramokgopa in April at the ANC’s national executive committee meeting in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
ALSO READ: After 15 years, ANC taking ‘decisive action’ to end load shedding by December
Ramokgopa said load shedding would still be around next year, but government was working to ensure that “its intensity is not as severe”.
Mbalula on load shedding
In spite of this, Mbalula remained confident on Wednesday that the rolling blackouts would be a thing of the past by the end of this year.
“I know from where I’m sitting [and] from the work that is being done by government and ministers and so on [that] before the end of the year, load shedding should be something of the past…
“I can assure that load shedding will be reversed and it will be dealt with decisively,” Mbalula said during an interview with eNCA’s Power to Truth with JJ Tabane programme.
Stage 8 power cuts warning
The ANC secretary-general’s remarks are in stark contrast to the warning issued on Thursday morning by Eskom‘s acting CEO Calib Cassim.
Cassim warned South Africans to prepare for a harsh and cold winter as the demand for power intensifies.
Speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg, he said the likelihood of stage 8 load shedding during peak hours this winter was “extremely high”.
Cassim also denied any allegations of the country’s electricity grid collapsing, saying Eskom had the situation under control.
“In terms of a national blackout, we are confident that will not occur because of the interventions and the control mechanisms that we have in place through a competent system operated team…
“Load shedding is necessary to keep control of the transmission grid, which is critical, and that is why the choice of the load shedding levels are executed to remain in control of the grid,” he said.
NOW READ: ‘Stage 8 load shedding likely in winter’ – Eskom
